Research and Study in the “New Abroad”
Registration for in-person attendance has now closed. For those interested in attending online, most of the sessions will be accessible using this Zoom link. The only exceptions are workshop sessions 2 (9:40-11:10 am) and 4 (1:30-3:00 pm) on March 2nd, which will use a different Zoom meeting link (given below).
Rationale: The places abroad (or in some cases merely off campus) to which American institutions send undergraduate and graduate students for study and research are changing rapidly. They have been reconfigured by the devastating impact of Russia’s full-scale invasion of and war against Ukraine and the dissolution of political relations leading up to it, which have rendered Ukraine as well as Russia and Belarus physically and politically dangerous for many in those countries, and for potential visitors from North America. The spaces open for travel, research, dialgoue, study, and exchange must necessarily also be shaped by reorientations toward decolonial, anti-colonial, and post-imperial theory, which might fruitfully consider not just Russian (and Habsburg and Ottoman) imperialism, but also that of the U.S. and of Western European powers. Where and how can we ethically (and safely) send students in this evolving geopolitical moment? Our annual hybrid spring workshop, hosted by Bryn Mawr College on March 1-2, 2024, will focus on the emerging geopolitical landscape of research, study abroad, study away, and experiential learning for students.
Program:
Friday, March 1
2:00 pm - Opening Comments: Tim Harte (Provost and Professor of Russian, Bryn Mawr College)
2:10-3:15 pm - Keynote: Dan Davidson (Professor Emeritus of Russian, Bryn Mawr College/Director, American Councils Research Center) “Changing landscapes of study abroad”
3:15-4:15 pm - José Vergara (Assistant Professor of Russian, Bryn Mawr College) “Notes from the Field: Russian Alaska from 360º”
4:15-4:30 pm - Coffee break
4:30-5:15 pm - Discussion, Introduction to Saturday Workshops
Saturday, March 2
9:40 -11:10 am - Concurrent Workshop Sessions
• Workshop Session 1: Preparing students for the diverse contexts of the new abroad (main Zoom meeting - see link at top)
- Sarah Theobald (Bryn Mawr College) “Leading short term field studies with students”
- Cris Scarboro (Kings College) “The Geographies of Europe Model: Crossing Borders and Reading Landscapes”
- Masha Lvova (U.S. Russia Foundation) “Engaging Russian students in exile”
- Tatiana Orlova (Bard College/Bard-AUCA Bishkek) “Orienting U.S. students (pre-departure) for study abroad in Kyrgyzstan”
- Alexander Tullock (American Councils, Almaty) “Studying Russian in Kazakhstan: Approaches to gender, mental health, culture shock, and multilingual environments”
•
Workshop Session 2: Diversifying the curriculum via learning in diasporas/communities (
second Zoom meeting)
- Natalia Karageorgos (Assistant Professor of the Practice in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies, Wesleyan University) “Helping the Greek community from Mariupol”
- Irina Dubinina (Professor of Russian, Brandeis University) “Interview projects with local elderly”
- Svitlana Malykhina (Assistant Professor, Defense Language Institute Monterey)
- Ekaterina Burvikova (Senior Lecturer, University of New Hampshire)
11:10-11:30 am Coffee break
11:30 – 11:50 am - Reports from workshops 1 and 2 (main Zoom meeting - see link at top)
12 - 1:15 pm - Lunch
1:30-3 pm - Concurrent Workshop Sessions
• Workshop 3: Ethics & methods for work with populations who have experienced trauma (main Zoom meeting - see link at top) - Nataliia Gusak (Associate Professor of Social Work, National University of Kyiv/Bryn Mawr)
•
Workshop 4: Geographies of collections-based research since February 2022
(second Zoom meeting) - Anna Arays (Slavic Librarian, Yale University)
3-3:20 pm - Coffee break
3:20-4 pm - Reports from workshops 3 and 4 (main Zoom meeting - see link at top)
4-5 pm - Wrap up
